Existence
by Atlantis1
Summary: AU set 3 years after IWRY. Angel, after not seeing Buffy since that day, comes back to Sunnydale to save her from the brain powers of a powerful 12 years old boy influenced by W&H. Sequel to my AtS story "The Chosen One"


TITLE: Existence  
RATING: PG-13  
DISCLAIMER: All the characters in this story belong to Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, the WB, FOX, Kuzui Enterprises, Mutant Enemies and whoever else owns the copyrights. I'm merely using them for the fun of writing and reading, and because I MISS B/A DAMMIT!!!!!!  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a sequel to my AtS FIC "The Chosen One" and it's based on the lost but not forgotten "I Will Remember You", 3 years later. I WROTE THIS FIC DURING S4/S1.  
  
  
1  
  
"This outfit is totally wrong!" Cordelia said, looking at the wide screen. Angel looked up in the direction. "Actually, this is pretty accurate to the fashion of the late 18th century". He remarked.  
"No, I meant my outfit, it's itching. I didn't even like it, why did I buy this thing, remind me?" she bitched.  
"'this is perfect! It makes me look thinner' comes first to mind", Wesley said, grabbing handful of popcorn and stuffing it in his mouth.   
Cordelia gave him a stern gaze and returned her stare to the screen. "This movie is boring", she said. "Who even wants to see a tragic 18th century forbidden love, we get that here all the time", she huffed.  
  
Outside, in an alley near the theater, a woman screamed. She was attacked by two vampires. They started closing in on her.  
She started to run and they got a hold of her after a few blocks.  
A bright light blinded them and they roared, letting go of the woman.  
She fell to the ground, shaken.  
A child, wearing all white, walked out of the light and the light started to fade away.  
He looked at the vampires. "What are you doing?" He asked.  
The vampire growled. "Who are you?" he approached the kid, while the other one grabbed the sobbing woman on her feet.  
"Are you hurting her?" the child showed no fear.  
The woman cried, and the vampire grabbed her by the throat.  
"No, we're just going to kill her", the first vampire laughed, he was inches away from the boy and lashed out at him, the kid jumped aside and the vampire hit a parking car.  
  
Angel, Wesley and Cordelia walked out of the theater. Cordelia sniffed, wiping her eyes with a tissue. "That was so sad", she sobbed.  
They heard a woman cry out for help. Angel and Wesley started running in the direction of the shouting.  
They saw the vampire drinking from the woman, and another vampire facing a boy.  
"Hey! Why don't you fight someone your own size", Angel called.  
The kid didn't even look at the people that came to his rescue, he watched intensely as the vampire sinking his teeth in the woman. Angel started to run towards them, when the kid sent out his hand and the vampire along with the woman burst into ashes.  
The vampire, Wesley and Angel looked stunned at the boy.   
The vampire ran away.  
  
The kid looked amazed at the pile of dust.  
"You killed the woman!" Wesley said, stepping forward, Angel held him by his chest.   
The kid turned to face them. "I'm going to kill you too", he smirked, then ran away.  
Angel started running after him and jumped over the rolling trashcan the kid threw in his way. He felt something was very wrong with the boy. Not necessarily evil, but unfitting.  
  
  
2  
  
The kid stopped running to check out his pursuer, when suddenly a hand covered his mouth and lifted him. He started kicking in the air, but the strong person that held him didn't seem to care.  
"I won't hurt you", Angel said quietly, putting the child down, still holding him firmly.  
"*I* will hurt *you*!" the kid threatened.  
"You won't hurt nobody", Angel hissed.  
He pulled the kid by his arms, until he met again with Wesley.  
Cordelia came into view. "Oh poor kid," she said looking at the ashes. "Were you attacked by big bad fanged monsters?" she asked, reaching her hands over to him.  
He looked up at her.  
"Cordelia, move away from him", Angel said loudly.  
"Where are your parents, little boy?" she ignored him and looked into the child's brown eyes.  
"I don't have any parents", he said, saddened.  
"Aw, come with me to our office and we'll find out how to help you", she said and he nodded.  
Angel and Wesley looked amazed as she sent out her hand to the kid and started walking away with him.  
"They are afraid of me", he told her as they walked by them.  
  
When Angel and Wesley walked into the office, Cordelia and the boy were already there. Cordelia was standing by the espresso machine, watching them enter the office. The child was covered with a blanket and sat possessively on Angel's chair.  
"So who are you?" Angel stepped forward, looking at the kid.  
"God", the kid said, not dropping his eyes.  
"Are you", Wesley chuckled.  
The kid turned his head over to Wesley. "You got any doubts?"  
"In point of fact", Wesley started to say, but the kid interrupted him.  
"You think I'm evil", he said nonchalantly.  
Angel folded his arms. "How old are you?"  
"Older than time".  
"How old is time?" Wesley sat down in front of the kid.  
"Do you think you can challenge me? Time is something beyond your comprehension", the kid said.  
"You're just a spoiled little brat", Wesley said and got up furiously, moving closer to the boy.  
The kid huffed angrily and Wesley froze in his place.  
"I can't move", Wesley whispered.  
Angel moved over to him and touched his arm. "You're cold as ice", he said.  
Cordelia walked inside with two boiling mugs.   
"Set me free", Wesley hissed, gritting his teeth.  
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked, putting the mugs on the table.  
"Let him go", Angel said.  
The kid looked up at him. "What if I don't want to?"  
"Prove to him you're not evil", Angel said quietly.  
The boy reached for the mug and took a sip. He grimaced. "Eww, that's yucky!"  
"We just got a new espresso machine", Cordelia said, taking a sip from her own cup. "Mine is great".  
"I don't want coffee. I want hot chocolate!"  
"I don't have choco-"  
"Could you release me first?" Wesley asked.  
"You don't like me. You want me to be a demon so you'd have a good excuse to kill me".  
"No one's gonna kill anyone", Angel said. He looked at the boy. "Release him".  
The kid sighed and Wesley fell to the floor.  
"My legs! I can't feel them!" He groaned.  
"Don't be such a wuss, you'll get the feeling back soon". The kid said while Angel helped Wesley back to the chair.  
"Stop harassing the kid", Cordelia said, moving over to the child.   
"In the meanwhile it seems like the kid is harassing us", Wesley muttered.  
"They're after me", the boy said, looking around.  
"Who?"  
"Them!"  
  
  
3  
  
They heard loud noises getting closer and closer.  
"What is it?" Wesley perked his head to the sounds.  
"I don't think I want to find out", Cordelia said, looking over at Angel. He nodded. "Take the kid and go", he said, motioning outside with his head. "Wesley, you go with them", he said.  
"And leave you here to fight these creatures alone? I rather not", Wesley said, folding his arms.  
Cordelia took the kid's hand and started running outside, while Wesley and Angel grabbed weapons.  
Cordelia was heading towards the elevator.  
  
"No", the kid pulled Cordelia's hand. "Don't go there", he said.  
"This is the best way out", Cordelia said.  
"We better go from there", he pointed at the front exit.  
"Don't you think the sewers are the best way out?"  
"No. They are waiting for us to go there".  
"Okay, let's go to my house then". Cordelia pulled him and they ran outside into the street.  
  
The kid stopped and looked at Cordelia, who walked inside the house. She stopped, looking over at him. "What's wrong?"  
He didn't speak. "Are you sensing Dennis or something? He's a friendly ghost. Have you ever seen Casper?"   
The kid took her hand again, still not talking and lead her inside the apartment.   
She followed him quietly.   
"Sleep", he said, as she sat down on her sofa.  
"But-"  
"Hush", he put his finger to her mouth and she lay down, looking frightened at him.  
"Sleep", he said quietly and put his hand on her forehead.  
Her expression turned bleak.  
"I'm sorry", he whispered. "You've been nothing but nice to me..." he covered her eyes with his hand for several seconds. When he moved his hands her eyes were closed.  
He got up and walked through the door.   
  
  
4  
  
"What are these things?" Wesley asked as a few flying monsters lunged at him like balls.  
"I don't know... never seen these kind of demons..." Angel answered as he was trying to kill a monster with his sword. "...Before", he cut through the demon, only to realize he was cutting the air.  
"What is it? It's not real, it's a hologram of some kind". Wesley said, when one of the creatures hit him, cutting his arm.  
"Or maybe they are real". He flinched.  
"There must be a way to kill them", Angel said, ducking another demon-ball attack.  
  
"You just push this button", they heard the kid's voice and turned around. He was holding a little black chip, that resembled a remote, the flying monsters squealed and turned into little balls, jumping into the little bag the kid was holding.  
  
"You sent these things to attack us!" Wesley looked at him angrily.  
"Where's Cordelia", Angel asked.  
The kid walked inside the office.  
"Nice place. Better than the one that got blown up", he said, his hand lingering on the silky chair.  
Angel watched the kid complete his circle around the room and standing in front of him.  
"You know what he is?" Wesley asked behind.   
"I know what he is and I know who he is", the boy didn't even turn around.  
"So what is it that you want of us?" Wesley asked, moving closer.  
"Don't get any closer, lower being", the kid said and turned around.  
"If you kill me, you wouldn't be any better than the fiends you fight".  
Wesley opened his mouth, shocked. "How do you know that's what I was thinking?"  
"Wesley", Angel said quietly. "Leave us alone".  
The kid turned back to Angel, a worried expression floated on his face for a brief second. Wesley left the room.  
"You can't read my mind, boy".  
The kid looked down. "Maybe not, but I can still hurt you".  
"Why are you being so resentful?"  
"Because you're a liar! You're not a warrior, you don't help people!"  
The kid shouted.  
Angel scanned the boy's face. "Have I ever done anything to hurt you? I don't know what you're talking about".  
"I needed your help a long time ago, but you let me down".  
"I don't..." Angel looked at him confused. "I don't remember having met you before".  
"You don't... well, that's fine. You will remember how I hurt your friends!"  
The boy turned to leave. "You hurt them, and I won't have mercy on you boy", Angel growled behind him.  
"I will destroy you". The kid said quietly and walked out of the room.  
5  
  
"Where did he go?" Wesley faced Angel as he walked out of the room, Angel froze in his place and sighed.  
"Wesley", he looked at him. "Are you all right?"  
"Yeah, the little brat seemed upset as he stormed out of here".  
"It's Michael, Wesley". Angel said calmly, looking away.  
"Who?"  
"My son".  
"What are you talking about?" Wesley asked confused, after a bit.  
"Remember last year? We saved Michael when he was a baby from that demon Zadon and brought him to the oracles?"  
"Oh, yes. The baby from the other dimension". Wesley took off his glasses. "But, how can it be? He is supposed to be about two years old now".  
"I don't know. I just know it's him. Maybe he can travel in time. He has powers. It must be him".  
"But he seems so evil", Wesley protested.  
"He's not evil. He's just confused. He's full of hatred".  
"Well, how can it be? You gave him to the powers that be, to avoid having him misusing his powers, and I think that's just what he's been doing".  
"Maybe the pantheon is not that safe".  
"Maybe, and we have to find the little brat... sorry, child, before he does more damage".  
"Where's Cordelia?" Angel curved his mouth, and they headed towards the exit.  
  
"Cordelia!" Angel called out as they entered her apartment.  
"There!" Wesley spotted her on the couch.  
Both Angel and Wesley rushed to her side.   
"She's not dead, is she?" Wesley asked as Angel touched her.  
"No, she's alive..." Angel pondered quietly.   
"Is she sleeping?" Wesley leaned forward. "She seems like she's in some sort of a coma".  
Angel got up. "Stay with her".  
"Where are you going?"  
"I'm going to find Michael and wake Cordelia".  
  
Finding the boy wasn't hard. Not many young boys were walking the streets that late at night.  
Angel walked stealthily behind the kid. The boy sensed him and turned around but Angel grabbed him, before he could run.  
"Let me go!" the kid shouted.  
"What did you do to Cordelia?" Angel held him by the lapels.  
"Let me go!" Michael kicked Angel harder, making him drop him to the ground. Angel growled, showing him his game face.  
Michael just stared at him.  
"Michael", Angel started talking.  
"Get away from me!" Michael took a step back.  
"Hold it right there!" both Angel and Michael moved their heads to see kate, the blonde detective, pointing a gun at them.  
"Kate", Angel transformed back to his human face.  
"I'm tired of you popping up everywhere!" kate didn't lower her gun.  
Michael stepped forward. "It won't make you a better cop if you kill him", he said. She looked at him. "What the..." she moved her gun to the boy's face. "What are you?"  
"Nothing will bring your father back. You're just being irascible because he died before showing you that he cares about you".  
"Shut up!" she waved the gun, almost touching his face.  
Angel pulled the kid back.   
6  
  
"He's just a human boy", Angel told kate.   
"You mean if I pull the trigger he could die? Good". She said, not lowering the gun.  
"You are jealous of Angel. You want to kill him to prove you're better", Michael said, throwing Angel's hand away from him.  
"If you read my thoughts one more time I will put a big bloody hole through your annoying little head, you're not human. Humans can't read people's mind". She said, moving her other hand to the gun, so she was holding it with both hands.  
"Kate, he's just a little boy, you want me. Take me", he said and without any warning, kicked the gun out of her hand.  
"You bastard. I got just the thing for you!" she said taking out a cross.  
"I encountered two vampires tonight. Dusted the bastards". She said.  
"Well you know how it goes", Angel ducked her punch then hit her hard across the face. "Third time charm".  
She recovered quick and kicked him away.   
"Kate, come on, I don't wanna do this", he said, ducking another kick. "No? Why not?"  
"You need therapy". He grabbed her fist. "It's been almost 3 years since your father died".  
"And you and your kind still walk free, ignoring our laws. You think you can do whatever you want because you're immortal? Guess what?" she grabbed another stake that was shoved in her sheath. "Even immortals can die".  
Angel let out a sigh, getting ready to block her stab, but she thrust the stake with full power into her own chest. A small stream of blood splashed on Angel's clothes. He looked at her confused. She had a glossy stare in eyes and tried to mumble something as white foam filled her mouth. She dropped down to her knees and fell to the ground.  
Angel kneed in front of her. "Kate!" he called, checking her pulse. He moved over to Michael.  
"What have you done?!" he was truly angry.  
The kid looked down in shame. "I only wanted to help..." he half-whispered.  
"You can't go around killing people!" Angel said angrily, though softer than before. "No matter how... how..."  
"Bitchy?" Michael offered.  
"... They are", Angel said, turning around to look at kate's body again.   
"Now I need you to bring Cordelia back", he moved around just to see that Michael was no longer there.  
  
7  
  
"Come in", Lindsey called. The demon entered the office, pushing Michael inside.   
"Thank you Alegra. Now leave us alone", Lindsey told the demon and it turned around and left the room.  
Michael's cheeks were red with anger, and his light brown hair was messier than usual.  
"Hi Michael", Lindsey smiled at him.  
"Who are you?"  
"My name's Lindsey. I'm a lawyer". Lindsey moved over to his desk and leaned on the table.   
"Have a seat please", he motioned with his hand to the chair.  
Michael walked forward, but instead of sitting in the chair Lindsey offered he walked to the other side of the table and sat in the big black armchair.  
Lindsey smirked. "I see that you like my chair".  
"It's comfortable". Michael raised his legs on the table.  
"Do you wonder why we brought you here?"  
"Because you're a bunch of demons who want me to use my powers for your benefits?" Michael played with Lindsey's sign.  
"I'm not a demon", Lindsey smiled genuinely.  
"If you were human I would have heard your thoughts. I can tune to people's thoughts. It's like radio".  
"Yes, we know that. That's why we protected our -channels-, Michael. You can't hear our thoughts".  
"Why not? Because they're evil?" the boy remained careless.  
"So how did you find your way to the passage of time?" Lindsey ignored his remark.  
"I ran away. I heard two guards talking about it. But it won't help you. You can get there only within the pantheon. And you can't go there".   
"Don't worry. We've had the pantheon surrounded for a couple of years now".   
"It doesn't matter for the powers that be".  
"You don't like the powers that be, do you Michael?" Lindsey looked at him.  
Michael huffed quietly, slamming the sign against the table.  
"It's okay, you can talk about it with me".  
"Don't I have a right to an attorney before I say anything?" he asked. Lindsey smiled. "It's hard being the chosen one, isn't it so?"  
"More like boring". Michael tailed his finger on the carved letters in the sign.  
"You're 12, right?" Lindsey moved over to the large window.  
"Yeah".  
"I still remember when we heard you were born".  
"It wasn't that long ago in your time". Michael said.  
"Right. We got the news from the other dimension. In this dimension your daddy didn't even want to give you a chance to be born".  
"The powers that be make all the choices. He's only a player".  
"Then why do you hold so much rage against him?" Lindsey moved over to face the boy. "You don't believe that, right Michael?"   
"I tried to make him choose... but he didn't accept it. He just gave me back. I hate the pantheon". Michael whispered.  
"And now you want to revenge. Because you had a chance for a life in this world, and a little family..." Lindsey said.  
Michael looked down. "And he took that away from me"... he said almost unheard.  
"I can help you, Michael. You can have anything you ever wanted".  
Michael got up from the chair and paced towards the window. "I already have everything. I got powers".  
"Then what are you still doing here?" Lindsey asked.  
Michael looked at the rising sun on the horizon.  
Lindsey walked over to him and put his hands on the kid's shoulders.  
"You want to have fun like every other human boy. You want to sit on your butt watching TV. You want to run outside and play with the other children. You want family. You want to play catch with your father. You want to destroy Angel for taking that opportunity away from you, and you want our help". Lindsey removed his hands from the boy. They both were quiet for a moment.  
Michael turned around and looked up at Lindsey.   
"Will you help me?" he asked.  
"We want to help you".  
  
8  
  
"Where's the boy?" Cordelia asked, raising her head from the couch.  
Wesley and Angel both rushed to her side.  
"Cordelia! You're awake!" Wesley called. "My spell worked!"  
"It was the weirdest thing", Cordelia said, propping up on her elbows. "He told me to sleep and just put his hand on my forehead and I couldn't move, but I felt calm". She looked over at Angel. "What is he? Some kind of a Jesus?"  
"Something like that..." Wesley said.   
"And now he's gone and we have to find him", Angel said, looking at the rays of light which penetrated through the blinds.  
  
Lindsey walked down the street with Michael.  
They entered a sports store. "Now we'll dress you in something more casual", Lindsey said as he looked down at Michael's white clothes.  
Michael smiled and walked over to the clothing line.  
"Perfect. You looked great!" Lindsey applauded as Michael came out from the changing room wearing jeans, t-shirt and Nike.  
"Just one more thing", Lindsey said, moving closer to the boy. Michael looked up at him with a question look. Lindsey put a L.A Lakers cap on the boy's head. "Perfect". He marveled again.  
They went out with the bags of the other clothes they bought.  
"That was fun!" Michael smiled.  
"And we just started. Do you want to eat something? Or you rather play video games first?"  
"Video games?" Michael raised his eyebrow.  
  
Lindsey watched pleased as the boy wasted coin after coin on the machine. He was pretty good for a newbie.  
"That was so fun! Can we do this again?" Michael asked when the screen said 'Game Over'.   
"Sure. But first let's go eat. I'm getting hungry". Lindsey said. They walked out.  
  
"What's this?" Michael looked puzzled at the triangle thing Lindsey gave him. "That's a slice of pizza".  
Michael sniffed the slice and darted out his tongue to taste it. "Is that food?"  
"Yeah, give it a bite", Lindsey smiled as Michael slowly and carefully took a bite from the pizza. His face brightened. "I love it!"   
"It's fun having a real life in the real world, eh Michael?"  
"Yeah, I should have come here a lot earlier!"  
Lindsey smiled, patting the kid's shoulder. "You can stay here with us for as long as you want".  
  
"Wait you say this boy is Michael, the baby from the other dimension we saved last year?"   
"Yes, the same one I'm afraid". Wesley nodded.  
"I hate to break this up to you, but Michael was a baby. This boy is at least 10 years old".  
"He's 12", they heard another voice and turned around.  
"Whistler", Angel looked at him surprised.  
"Michael stole the codes for one of the time passages, that's how he got here". He said.  
  
9  
  
"Hello Lindsey", Holland smiled when Lindsey entered his office.  
Lindsey greeted him back and sat in front of him.  
"How's Michael doing?"  
"He's fitting in. He likes sports and cartoons".  
"You like him".  
"He's different. He's very special and everything is like the first time with him".  
"Does he like you too?"  
"I think so".  
"Good. You think he's ready?" Holland opened his drawer and took out a file.  
Lindsey swallowed, looking down at the picture his boss took out of the case, with the text- "Buffy A. Summers".  
  
"It wasn't suppose to be this way", Whistler hummed, pacing back and forth in Angel's office.  
"But he seemed so sweet and naive... definitely not the 'I'm gonna destroy the world' type..." Cordelia said, looking over at Wesley who checked his books.  
"No, he's not gonna destroy the world", Whistler stopped walking.  
They all stared at him. "Well, not now anyway... his powers are still evolving. He will destroy the obstacles in the way first".  
"The obstacles in the way?" Wesley grimaced. "Meaning us? Angel?"  
"They're giving him guidance".  
Angel didn't look at Whistler, he was busy examining a shiny sword.  
"Is there anyway to bring him back to our side without killing him?" Cordelia asked.  
Wesley rubbed his eyes. "I'm not sure Angel would be capable of killing his own son..."  
"What??" Cordelia gazed at him. Angel looked up too.  
"The kid is your son? How can that be?"   
"Well... when Buffy was in L.A, the first time... you know... about 2 years ago...-"  
"Oh yeah, when you were human for a day and asked to turn back the time and didn't check the lottery numbers. I remember".  
"You do? How's that possible?" Angel looked at her surprised.  
"Doyle told me... so in Michael's dimension you remained human?"  
"Yeah... for a while..."  
"Wow, and what did you-"  
"Um, excuse me for cutting this nice little chat, but we're kind of wasting time?" Whistler interrupted.  
"You're right. We have to find Michael. Where do you think he'd want to start?" Wesley asked.  
"Most likely where it hurts the most", Whistler said, looking over at Angel.  
"Buffy". Angel said, his expression remained bleak.  
  
"Buffy? What kind of name is that?" Michael chuckled when Lindsey gave him a file. He opened it. There was only a picture inside.  
"Hey I seen her before", he held the picture, then gazed back at the TV screen.  
"Those pokemons thingies are dumb... you know I got something like that too.. Only I use it for trainings", he said.  
"Where did you see her?" Lindsey asked.  
"I saw her in my dreams. And there's a reflection of her aura in the hall of ta-krim... I think she works for the high powers".  
"Well, in any case, she's the weak spot of our friend. And we're gonna exploit that, right buddy?"  
"She must be important", Michael said quietly, looking at her picture.  
"Yeah, there's nothing more important than your enemy's softest spot", Lindsey smiled and straightened Michael's cap. "C'mon, let's go out and play catch".  
"Yeah!" Michael smiled happily and got up.  
  
10  
  
The phone kept ringing. Buffy moaned and stirred in her bed. "Angel..." she sighed quietly, a slight grin appeared on her face.  
She opened her eyes abruptly, and sat up. The phone stopped ringing and she rubbed her eyes and yawned.  
She picked up the phone and dialed Tara's number, knowing she could find Willow there.   
"Will. Good morning", she said when she heard her friend's voice.  
  
"There's no answer. I gotta go there", Angel walked out of his room, putting on his long black coat.  
Cordelia got up on her feet. "Are you sure he went there? You don't know..."  
"I have a feeling".  
"Right", she lowered her head. "You have a feeling... but", she raised her eyes back to him. "I didn't have a vision!"  
At that moment she slumped on her knees, holding her head when a blinding vision hit her.  
Angel grabbed her before she fell to the floor.  
She got up. "Dammit!" she said, clenching her teeth. "Go".  
Whistler and Wesley entered the room.  
"What did you see?" Angel asked her.  
"Lindsey. He's with Michael", she frowned, waving her hands. Angel frowned too. "Lindsey".  
"Oh lord, Wolfram & Hart has the boy. I can't think of anything more dangerous than that", Wesley sighed, tilting his head.  
"They have this father-son going on. Michael really likes him... I could feel it", Cordelia said, looking back at Angel.   
Angel raised his eyes. "What?"  
"And he's taking him to Buffy..."  
"Michael must return with me to the Pantheon", Whistler stepped forward. "Or you can start counting the days you got left. And believe it won't be pretty 4th of July fireworks".  
"Wolfram & Hart will use Michael to destroy the world..." Wesley hummed.  
"I think we already figured *that* out", Cordelia huffed.  
"No", Angel said looking away. "They're going to use him to rule it".  
  
11  
  
"So you had another dream about Angel?" Willow looked at her friend's face. Buffy gazed down at the napkin she was holding. They were sitting in a coffee shop.  
"Fifth night in a row..." Buffy sighed.  
"Maybe it's prophetic..."  
"Willow, I haven't seen Angel for so long. I thought I was over him! But what if I'm not?" Buffy still didn't raise her eyes.  
"What did you dream?" Willow asked. "Maybe you can talk to Tara.. She's good with dreams".  
"It was always the same until tonight..." Buffy raised her eyes.  
"We were..." she blushed. "You know... we... we made love. But, it was different... it was like... it was like a feeling of deja vu".  
"And he turned in your dream?"  
"No... he was... he wasn't even..." Buffy swallowed. "I don't know how to explain this... it's too complicated..."  
"Was he human?"  
Buffy stared at her. "Yea...yeah. He had... I put my hand on his chest. And I felt his heart. I heard it..."  
"Maybe you wish he was human so you could be together..." Willow smiled briefly and looked at her. "I'm sorry it didn't work out between you and riley".  
"I'm not! It was totally a mistake... I don't believe it took me that long to figure *that* out!"   
"But you looked cute together and normal boy is just what you need".  
"Um, Will, reality check? Riley was *not* normal. Remember? Chip thingies and other initiative stuff?"  
"But it was a long time ago", Willow insisted.  
Buffy picked another napkin and started tearing it to little pieces.  
"Forget it, I'll never have a normal life. Why bother? We never even did anything together or talked. You know, *important* relationship stuff? We just..."  
"Oh I know, Tara and I do that all the time!" Willow smiled widely, Buffy glared at her and Willow's smiled faded. "You know.. The *important* relationship stuff..." she explained.  
Buffy smiled faintly. "Sure, Will. It's cool".  
"So anyway", Willow changed the subject. "Angel was human and you made love", she pointed out Buffy's dream again.  
"But tonight it was different. I was... pregnant. We had a baby... I really wish I knew what this all meant!" Buffy sighed frustrated.  
"Don't worry you will", Willow smiled at her. "Maybe you need to visit Angel... maybe you miss him".  
"I really don't think I should", Buffy bit her lip. She looked outside the cafe. A red convertible maneuvered into the parking lot. A man wearing a suit and sunglasses walked out besides a young boy.  
  
"It really means a lot to me that you left all your work behind and came here with me", Michael said, looking up at Lindsey.  
The young lawyer smiled and grabbed the boy's hand.  
"Hey, we're like family now". He smiled and the boy smiled back at him.   
"She's in there", the boy said pointing at the cafe.   
"Hmmm, after we take care of her, it will be easier to get rid of Angel". Lindsey said quietly.  
"I don't wanna get rid of him. I just want to make him suffer", Michael said, letting go of Lindsey's hand.  
"Yeah, we're going to destroy him, I didn't mean... kill him", Lindsey assured him.  
"And my mother. Don't hurt her", Michael folded his hands.  
Lindsey looked at him confused. "Wh... who?"  
"You know... Cordelia? My mother? The one with the visions?"  
Lindsey was silent for a minute. "Sure... we won't hurt her... she's not in our way".  
"Okay", Michael smiled again and gave Lindsey his hand.  
  
Buffy looked at her watch. "Dammit... gotta get back to work", she got up and straightened her dress.  
Willow smiled. "I'd like to order another coffee please".  
Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Anything else? Love potion?"  
Willow smiled again. "I got a few in our shop, just coffee will be fine".  
"Summers, break is over". The shift manager tapped on her shoulder.  
"One coffee, table two". She nodded and got over to the desk.   
She looked as the man and the kid walked inside the cafe. Her sight was fixated on the kid. A weird feeling aroused in her.  
"Buffy! What are you doing??" Willow got up quickly, waving her hands. Buffy looked at her to see that she spilled the hot coffee on her best friend.  
"God, I'm so sorry Willow! I wasn't..." she looked around searching for the boy. "...Paying attention".  
  
"She felt me!" the boy told Lindsey, excited. "How can that be?"  
"Well, she got powers too", Lindsey said. He smiled at Michael and took off the cap, messing the child's hair.  
"Hi", Buffy stood by their table. She looked at the kid suspiciously.  
"Would you like to order anything?"   
"Yeah", Michael smirked at her and leaned back in his chair. "Your gruesome death".  
"Michael!" Lindsey hushed him and looked at Buffy. "You'd have to forgive him... he watches too much television".  
Buffy smiled politely and took their orders.  
  
  
"You see that kid over there?" Buffy whispered as Willow took a sip from her coffee.  
"Yeah", Willow stared at the boy.  
"There's something about him..." Buffy hesitated.  
"What?"  
"I don't know..."  
Buffy looked over at the kid again. "There's something about him".  
"What?"  
"I don't know... there's something about him".  
"What?"  
"I don't know... there's something..." Buffy groaned and grabbed her head. "Someone's messing with my mind!" she hissed.  
"What?" Willow seemed to be stuck in her trance.  
Buffy grimaced, trying to fight the voices in her head. "I don't know... there's..." she whispered, then gathered her strength and pulled Willow up, leading her out of the diner.  
Michael stared at them walking out in shock. "She's strong!" he told Lindsey. "You have to win. I'm counting on you... son". Lindsey put his hand on the kid's shoulder. Michael looked at him and nodded.  
"I'll just have to try harder".  
  
12  
  
"We're in", Cordelia said, parking the car in the shadows of a building. Angel took the blanket off him and got out of the car.  
Wesley and Cordelia both stared at the mansion above them, on the hill. "How *could* you leave this place?" Cordelia asked him after a moment. Angel shrugged and they walked inside.   
"I must get to Giles and warn him about the boy", Angel rubbed his chin.  
  
"Giles!! There's... there's a boy... and we were stuck saying the same things over and over!" Willow rushed breathless into Giles' apartment. Buffy ran inside after her. "He played with our minds... I felt him before and then I felt him inside..." she said.  
Giles looked at them. "A boy?"   
"Yeah, a short little man, you know? Wearing L.A Lakers cap... and there was a man in a suit... handsome man in a suit... maybe his father..."  
"So do you know anything about evil children?" Willow asked.  
"Yeah, with good looking dads?"  
"I'll um, have to research. Are you sure it was an evil boy? Maybe you were just..."  
"Saying the same things over and over and trying to get that voice out of our heads? I think some powers were involved". Buffy said.  
"I'll get right to it", Giles said pensively. "Maybe there's something in the books".  
  
Michael walked down the streets alone. He kicked a stone, when he felt someone walking behind him. He turned around.  
"Buffy..." he mocked the guy behind him. "Why did you dump me?" he whined in a high pitch. riley finn stopped walking, looking at the boy.  
"Who are you?"  
Michael smirked, wrinkling his nose. "Bad break up?"  
"It's not your business".  
"you're right. I've never been used as a distraction and then got dumped", the kid shrugged.   
"You still have a lot to learn about life, kid".  
Michael laughed briefly.   
"What are you laughing about?"  
"What you said... it's funny! Coming from you, that is".  
"Why?"  
"You're starting to get on my nerves. You think you're not human, you think you're not a man, I just read what you think, so why do you ask? You need confirmation?"  
"How..." riley stared at him in disbelief. "Shut up". Michael cut him up. "Now, do as I say. Buffy is bad, right? She toyed with your heart and stomped on it".  
"Yes", riley nodded in agreement.  
"You must show her that you are a man. You're just gonna let her laugh about you with her friends?"  
"What? She laughs about me?"  
"In the remote moments she even thinks about you".  
"What should I do?"  
"I'll guide you". Michael said and watched as riley started walking down the street.   
  
13  
  
Buffy was tapping nervously on the table, as Willow, Giles and Xander were searching in the books. Xander raised his eyes, looking at her.  
"Well?" he asked.  
"What?"   
"Are you practicing for the band auditions?" he asked, closing the books. The rest raised their heads.  
"No," she wasn't even looking at him.  
"It would be helpful if you..." he didn't complete his sentence and she got up.  
"Wh-where are you going?" Giles asked, lifting his head again.  
"I gotta go out. I'll talk to you later". She left without saying another word.  
"Now, that was weird", Xander said, looking over at Willow.  
"She's been having dreams lately", Willow explained.  
"Oh really? Naughty dreams?" he propped himself up in the chair.  
"Yes", Willow said knowingly. "Really?" Xander was even more interested now, dropping the book the floor. Giles also raised his head, surprised.  
"About Angel", Willow continued.  
"What!?" Xander's voice shuttered. He huffed in disbelief and lifted the book from the floor.  
Giles took off his glasses. "Wh-why didn't she say anything? Did she dream he was losing his soul?"  
The phone rang and he picked it up, still gazing at Willow. She smiled nervously at Xander who had an annoyed expression on his face.  
"W-w-wait... hold on, I can't understand you... oh, wait..." Giles passed the phone to Willow. "It's Tara. She sounds upset".  
Willow grabbed the phone. "Tara? What? Oh... oh!" Willow hung up.  
"We gotta find Buffy... Tara said she's in danger!"  
  
Buffy was walking down the street, putting her arms around herself, to protect her body from the cool breeze.   
"Buffy!" she heard riley's voice and stopped walking. She huffed, annoyed and turned around.  
With no warning, riley smacked his fist in her face as hard as he could, Buffy fell down, dazed. She looked up at him, surprised.  
"What is your problem?!" she was pissed.  
He just grabbed her and hit her again. This time she grabbed his hand and flipped him on his back. He got on his feet quickly and punched her harder.   
"What's your problem!" She yelled at him. "Stop it!" He just threw her towards a streetlamp.  
"riley, I don't want to hurt you", she started saying as he approached her again. Before he could grab her, she jumped and kicked his head throwing him away. "but if you really insist..."  
riley was still on the ground when Buffy came closer slowly.  
She raised her head to see the young boy coming out of the shadows.  
"C'mon, you big sissy! Get up!" He prompted riley. Buffy stared at him. "It's you," she whispered. "What have you done to him?" She asked.  
"Me? You're the one who beat the living shit outta him". Michael said and then giggled. "Heh, I said 'shit'... if the vicars heard me I'd have to recite the prophecy of aslan a hundred time", the child seemed pleased. "Huh?" Buffy was confused.  
He looked at riley. "The poor guy can't even get up". He said. "I should have known he'd be of no use".  
"Who are you?" Buffy asked.  
  
14  
  
Xander was the first to get out. He opened the door and jumped off his feet when he was startled by Angel.  
"Angel!" Willow called.  
"Man, you ALWAYS do that!" Xander said.  
"I'm sorry, I was about to knock", Angel apologized.  
"Sure..." Xander nodded. Then in second thought, he asked carefully- "You're not... evil... are you?"  
"I'm not evil", Angel assured him.  
"How do I know you're not lying?"   
"Xander", Giles cleared his throat.  
"Because if I were evil, you'd already be dead now", Angel hissed pushing Xander aside as he walked in.  
"Giles, where's Buffy?"   
"Were you having dreams too?" Willow asked. He stared at her. "Dreams?"  
"Buffy been having dreams about you", she explained.   
Angel pondered for a second, then stared at Giles.  
"We have a problem, there's a young boy-"  
"Oh we saw him! He played with our minds a little!" Willow interrupted him.  
"You saw Michael? Where's Buffy? I have to talk to her!" Angel looked around.   
"Buffy went outside... she was acting a little weird", Giles said.  
"What did you say about the-"  
Angel didn't wait for Giles to finish and walked quickly outside.  
"Now that was a nice reunion", Xander remarked.  
"There's something going on", Giles said.  
Xander huffed. "Yeah, we noticed".  
"Where's Angel?" he looked up to see Cordelia and Wesley standing at the door.  
"You just missed him", Willow said.  
"Um, would you mind filling us in on what's been going on?" Giles asked, looking at Wesley.  
  
The kid got closer to Buffy, she looked at him then looked away.  
Michael turned to look as well. "You can feel him... before I do... how's that possible?" he asked. "Is it him?" she asked confused.  
"He's coming..." Michael said quietly, "Just in time to see your death".  
Buffy grabbed him. "I don't think so!" she felt a little awkward when she touched him, she didn't wanna hit a boy, so she just shook him.  
"Don't make me hurt you!" she said. He looked at her.  
She started to cough and released her hold on the boy.  
She fell on her knees, bringing her hands to her throat.  
"Stop..." she murmured, as she started choking herself.  
"Buffy!" she could dimly hear Angel coming. She could feel he was around before.  
Michael saw Angel running in their direction.  
"Michael! Let her go!" Angel yelled desperately. Michael smiled, he couldn't read Angel's thoughts, but he knew he managed to upset him.  
Buffy on the other hand, was thinking about Angel. It stirred something inside him. He could hear her thinking that she would want to touch Angel one more time before she dies. He felt pretty bad, but he couldn't fail Lindsey. He needed to win. Lindsey loved him and cared about him, unlike Angel.  
As Angel approached, Michael just ran away from there. He couldn't stand hearing Buffy's thoughts, her desperate calls for Angel's help.  
  
15  
  
Angel grabbed Buffy's hands, trying to release her tight grip. "Buffy! Fight it! You can beat it..." he whispered.  
"I can't..." she was on the verge of tears... "I can't..."  
he managed to release her hand. "You were powerful enough to fight his brainwashing earlier, you can do it now", Angel said, still trying to pull out her hands.  
  
"What..." riley dizzily started to wake up. He looked up and saw none other than Angel. The dark vampire was choking Buffy. He got up quickly and lunged at him. The moment Angel's grip on Buffy's hand was released, the full effect of Michael's control started to regain its powers.  
"You fool!" Angel called as he punched riley.  
"You leave Buffy alone!" the ex-commando barked at him.  
"Stay out of this, boy! You don't know what you're doing!" Angel hissed.   
"No? I think I know when someone is trying to kill someone!"  
Angel rolled his eyes and blocked riley's hit.  
"What's the matter boy? Someone took you off your vitamins?" he vamped out in a growl, grabbed riley with both hands and smashed him on the wall.  
He looked for a moment to see if riley got up and then ran over to Buffy. "Make it stop..." she whispered, trying to breathe.  
"Buffy, fight this", Angel said, trying to release her hands again.  
"You can do it", he encouraged her.  
Angel was once again kicked away from Buffy by riley.  
"You really want me to kill you?" Angel roared at him.  
"Stay away from her!" riley called.  
He attacked Angel again, scratching his face. Angel growled and moved back, hissing.  
When riley sent out his hand again Angel twisted it and riley started screaming.  
Angel let the boy go and ran over to Buffy. She was now coughing and rubbing her neck, tears in her eyes.  
"Buffy!" Angel was relieved to see she overcame the mind control.  
"Who is this boy, Angel? He's a monster". She whispered when she got up. Angel didn't reply.  
"You're hurt," she said, looking at his face. He was still in his game-face and flinched when she touched him.  
"Don't be such a..." she started saying and silenced when the feeling of deja-vu hit her. "...Baby..." she whispered. Angel knew exactly what she was thinking.  
"It's been a long time..." he said quietly. He turned to look over at riley who was still on the ground looking at them, trying to suffer his pain quietly.  
"I think I broke your boyfriend's arm... he attacked me", Angel said reverting back to his human form.  
"He's not my boyfriend anymore. We broke up", Buffy told him. "He attacked me... I was fighting him just before the little devil showed up".  
"Hmmm, he was probably under Michael's influence..." Angel pondered.  
They walked away, leaving riley behind.   
  
16  
  
"How did it go?" Lindsey asked when Michael walked inside. The child looked gloomy. "I don't think she's dead. Angel showed up". Michael said quietly.   
"He did?" Lindsey walked over to the boy.   
"The weirdest thing was she could feel him before I did. And she was thinking about him... do you know who she is?" Michael asked.  
"No," Lindsey said. He could tell the boy was upset.  
"C'mon, I'll make you dinner and hot chocolate", he put his hand on the boy's shoulder.  
"So you're not angry?"  
"Why should I be angry?"  
"That I failed". Michael looked up at him.  
"No! You're doing your best, I'm very proud of you, Michael". Lindsey smiled.  
Michael smiled in relief.   
"Hey", Lindsey stroked the boy's hair. "Keep that smile, son".   
Hearing these words, Michael's smile grew even wider.   
Lindsey smiled when suddenly Michael jumped up on him and hugged him. He was a bit surprised by the affection the boy gave him. He really liked this kid, he was so na?ve and yet special. he hugged the kid with his one human hand and meant it. He loved this boy.  
  
Willow looked at the bruises around Buffy's neck.  
"Wow, that looks bad", she said.  
Buffy smiled bitterly. She looked over at Angel who was sitting with Wesley and Giles, talking to them. She didn't hear what he said, but she stared at him amazed. The way he talked- enthusiastically, made her heart speed up. He changed, he was used to people now, developing social skills. He didn't need her anymore. He had his friends. She looked over at Cordelia who was making everyone dinner. That was a nice surprise, seeing the change in Cordelia. It had been years since they'd seen her. And Wesley... maybe she should go over to L.A too, it seems like the place helping people grow. She toyed with the thought of living with Angel and his little gang. But looking over at her own friends, she felt they all grew too. Time does its job.  
Cordelia gave her a cup of tea, waking her from her musings.   
"Thank you", Buffy smiled at her.  
  
They all sat at the table. Willow was helping Cordelia serve the food. Buffy rubbed her neck.  
Angel leaned over to her. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked.  
"Yeah", she said. He straightened and she lowered her head.   
"So, Angel, do you know who this boy is?" Xander asked, looking over at Angel.  
"Yeah, that's Michael-" Cordelia started saying, but Angel's stare cut her off. "Our little wonder boy..." she shrugged and started eating.  
"This is good", she gave herself a compliment.  
"Who's Michael?" Buffy asked, looking at Angel. "You said his name too earlier".  
Angel looked over at Cordelia and she smiled shortly, uncomfortable.  
"That's... his name", he said quietly.  
"I got that part, is he a demon?" she asked.  
"...No", Angel hesitated. "He's 12..."  
Giles and Wesley exchanged looks.  
"Well?" she was waiting for more.  
"You better just tell her," Cordelia said.  
"Tell her what?" Willow asked.  
Angel sighed, "I just don't think this..."  
"Tell me", Buffy demanded. "Who this kid is?"  
"He's..." Angel bit his lip. "Uh, your son".  
The room was quiet for a moment.  
"Come on, you can tell me the truth," Buffy said after a moment.  
"He IS your son, Buffy", Cordelia confirmed.  
"Um, Buffy?" Xander smirked at her. "There's something you care to share?"  
Buffy sighed. "He's not my son, are you crazy? What is your problem?" she said angrily.  
"I'm afraid they speak the truth", Wesley said.  
"No", Buffy protested. "I think I would remember if I had a baby AT THE AGE OF SEVEN!"  
"Actually, it would be ten", Willow said and silenced when Buffy stared at her sternly.  
"Buffy, we need to talk", Angel said softly. "Alone", he added.  
"Hey, we want to know too!" Xander protested.  
Angel looked at him, and Xander lowered his eyes. "But we can wait..." he murmured.  
Angel got up and sent out his hand to help Buffy. She got up, pushing his hand away.  
The people at the table were watching as she followed Angel into the other room.   
  
17  
  
Angel closed the door behind them and looked at Buffy.  
"I'm sorry I told you about it like this", Angel said softly, looking at her.  
"Oh, god. You're serious", Buffy looked at him. "It can't be!"  
"He's from the future Buffy", Angel explained. "And from another dimension".  
"Another dimension?" she looked at him, confused.  
He sighed.  
"And who's the father? And how can..." she silenced and looked at him. "It's you!" she said, looking at him. "It's my dream!" she was excited. "Willow said you were having dreams", Angel said.  
Buffy blushed. "We were... you know... and you were... human..." she whispered, gazing at him, waiting for him to help it make sense. "And I was pregnant..." she covered her mouth with her hands.   
"This boy can't be our son, Angel. Didn't you see how evil he was?"  
"He's not evil, he's just confused..."  
"I still don't understand how it can be..."   
  
"Michael?" Lindsey walked into Michael's room. looked at the boy who had fallen asleep in front of the TV.  
He walked over and stroked Michael's hair softly.  
Michael woke up startled.  
"Shush, it's just me", Lindsey whispered. Michael sat up in the bed.  
"You fell asleep in your clothes, you should wear your PJs". Lindsey said. Michael rubbed his eyes. "Buffy loves Angel", Michael said.  
"Does she?"  
"Yeah, she was in my dream again. Do you think..." he stopped talking.  
"What?"  
"I was thinking of my mom. The only time she mentioned Angel in her mind was when she thought she was running away from a demon. She thought Angel would beat the demon and protect her and save the world". Michael looked up at Lindsey.  
"I didn't want you to know that", Lindsey sighed and sat next to the boy. "What?" Michael asked.  
"Michael, you were so angry with Angel, I didn't want you to know how he cheated on your mom and hurt her", Lindsey put his arm on Michael's shoulder.  
"But she's not angry with him", Michael said.  
"Not now, it was a long time ago. Angel had an affair with Buffy".  
"But her thoughts were so pure... I wish I could hear Angel's thoughts", Michael whispered.  
"Don't we all?" Lindsey hummed.  
  
18  
  
Buffy stared at Angel, completely shocked. Then her shock turned into anger.   
"Buffy, I'm sorry, I know how you feel", Angel said quietly, pacing towards her.  
"Do you? I don't remember anything! A whole 24 hours of my life! 24 hours I spent with you as human! That's not fair!"  
"Buffy, try to understand", Angel spoke softly.  
She closed her eyes. "Stop. I don't want to hear. It didn't exist".  
He looked at her, saddened.  
They were both quiet for several moments.  
"So, what does Michael have to do with this?" Buffy asked after a while, focusing on their problem. "I mean, if the day never existed how can Michael exist?"  
Angel sighed. "The day existed. In another universe, parallel to this one", he explained.  
"What is it? 'Sliders'?" Buffy huffed. "Go on", she nodded.  
"I stayed human, even though, as I said, it had me totally helpless and weak, and then Michael was born. According to the prophecy of Aslan, A child with the powers of the stars, angel of darkness and light", Angel recited the first line of the prophecy.  
Buffy looked at him.  
"Michael has powers, because he's the chosen one of his world. And demons were trying to get him. I was a weak human being, and though we were very happy", he looked at the little smile she wore at the thought.  
"I couldn't help you fight. We were killed and Michael was kidnapped".  
"Oh God..." Buffy closed her eyes briefly.   
Angel approached her and touched her face gently.  
"You see why I had to turn back the time? Because more than anything, I want you to live. I couldn't stand the thought of getting you killed. I want to protect you", he said softly, close to her mouth.  
"In case you forgot, I'm stronger than you", Buffy reminded him. He sighed and stepped back, remembering that one time he raised his hand on her. "I'm sorry, here I am being so selfish, when you sacrificed your humanity for me", Buffy apologized.  
He was quiet. "The day existed, Buffy. It happened, the memory lives in me. I was never more happy in my life", he told her.  
"But is it worth it, Angel? Is it worth it to sacrifice all that for me?" she asked quietly.  
"Nothing is worth more, if you're not here to share it with me".  
Her eyes filled with tears. "I didn't know... if I did everything could have been different..."  
He reached out for her again and caressed her cheek softly, wiping her tears.  
"Things happen for a reason, Buffy. And what I'm doing in L.A, my redemption... everything... the prophecy says when I fight my last battle I'll become human again".  
She stared at him shocked.  
"And I need you to stay alive for me", he whispered and leaned to kiss her.  
She parted her lips, welcoming him. It was as if they were never apart. As though the years never passed.  
She put her arms around him and drew herself nearer. She wanted to immerse herself in him, to become a part of him.  
Angel let himself drawn in her. All these years, of living the memories of their lost day alone in his bed, when he had time to think, finally he got to feel her and taste her again. She was his sanctuary.  
The thought of Michael made him drift back to reality.  
"We have to find Michael". He said as he opened his eyes to look at her. She nodded and let go of him.  
  
19  
  
"I just called Charles", Cordelia told Wesley as she hung up the phone. "He's angry I didn't call before we left", she told him.  
"Oh Gunn, how is he?" Wesley asked.   
"He misses me", Cordelia said, smiling.  
Angel walked out of the room and they all looked at him.  
Buffy stepped out behind him.  
She looked over at her friends as though she saw them for the first time.  
"Buffy, is everything all right?" Willow asked.  
"We won't find him now..." Buffy whispered.  
"What?" Angel moved closer to her, leaning down.  
"Look at him", Xander muttered in Tara's ears over on the couch. "I think the years made him forget he still has a curse... look how he's all over her".  
"I think they're a pretty safe distance", Tara replied.  
"I can feel... I don't know how to explain it, but I can feel him. He's sleeping now", she said. "Somewhere safe".  
"Then we have to search for him in the morning", Willow said.  
"That's leaving one of us out of the search", Xander pointed.  
"Not necessarily", Tara implied.  
They looked at her.  
"I know a spell that can protect Angel from the daylight".  
  
Angel walked alongside Buffy on the way to her home.  
"So..." she said, looking up at him. "You still didn't say anything about the spell".  
He sighed. "I don't know, Buffy. I don't think I should trust magic so much".  
"But don't you see what it means? You could walk in the sun!" She sounded excited. "...With me..."  
he stopped walking and looked at her.   
"Walk me to the light", She reached for his hand.  
He took her hand and held it to his cheek. "I can't," he whispered. "Not like this".  
  
She opened the door to her apartment and entered. He stood there and looked at her, awkward. She put her bag down and turned to him.  
"Oh, I'm sorry! Come in," She invited him and he walked in, closing the door behind him.  
"Nice apartment," he commented, looking around at the one-bedroom place. She smiled and looked over to the bed.  
"I should join Cordy and Wesley at the mansion," he said.  
"Please stay," she looked at him. "I don't wanna stay alone tonight".  
He smiled shyly.   
  
After years of longing and dreaming, Buffy cuddled close to Angel's body. She rested her head on his chest. They were both fully clothed, and he held his arm around her.  
"Tell me," she trailed her finger on his chest. "How we were... on that day".  
He smiled to himself at the memory. "You licked ice-cream from my chest," he told her. She giggled and raised her head to look at him.  
"Really?"   
He nodded and smiled wider. "We had a good time".  
She caressed his muscular stomach, underneath his shirt.   
"Was I happy?"   
"We laid like this, only naked, and you didn't want to sleep, so the day wouldn't stop from happening..." He propped himself on his elbow, and stroked her hair. "I told you to sleep, that we'll have another day just like this..." he cringed and dropped his hand.  
She waited for him to lay down again, and rested her head on his arm, snuggling close. "It must have been perfect. Spending the day like a normal girl with her normal boyfriend... with you..." she whispered and he closed his eyes, thinking that was exactly what she said then.  
He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Sleep". He whispered.  
  
20  
  
Angel watched Buffy as she stirred in his arms and then opened her eyes slowly. She smiled at him, relieved to see he was still there, holding her. He smiled. "Good Morning".  
The phone rang and Buffy reluctantly turned away from Angel to pick it up.  
Angel got up and paced around the room.  
"Giles called. They're going out to look after Michael".  
"They shouldn't go alone," Angel said, moving closer.  
"Well, Tara and Willow are heading our way to cast that spell on you... and Cordelia didn't think Michael would hurt them".  
Angel rubbed his chin. "Michael doesn't know what he's doing. He's believing whatever Lindsey tells him".   
  
"They're looking for me," Michael said, turning to Lindsey.  
"Hmmm?"  
"There's 4 of them. I think my mother is with them". Michael said as he tied his new snickers.  
"I'm gonna go play with them a little, they will lead me to Buffy," He jumped up on his feet.  
"Be careful, son". Lindsey said, as he opened his laptop. Michael smiled and walked out the door. "See you later... dad," he closed the door behind him.  
Lindsey looked at his laptop and started typing.  
"No need to bother the senior partners... the kid's very cooperative".  
  
"I believe we should stay together," Wesley commented when Xander offered to split up.   
"We have better chance of finding him if we look in different places," Xander argued.  
"What good will it do when he controls your mind?" Wesley asked.  
"I suppose he has a point," Giles sighed.  
"Oh please, he's a kid. I can take him easily".  
Cordelia snickered. "I would LOVE to see you try".   
"Fine, you go look for him, I'll go on my own". Xander turned and walked away.  
The other three didn't even flicker.  
  
"yi mi nor shemesh nikor. Ti zi kor shemesh lo hol". Tara finished her weird chanting. Buffy and Willow were standing at the far corner looking. Angel was sitting in front of Tara, in a circle, studying her face as she chanted the unfamiliar words.   
She opened her eyes and got up.  
"Can I..." He started asking, but she nodded.  
He got up, brushing his hair. "What language was that? I've never heard that one before".  
"It's biblican. Ancient witches language used in bible times, later adapted by western witches. The spell I put on you was used in Salem. Witches sent creatures of the nights during the day, to defend themselves from their hunters," Tara explained.  
"Is it working?" Buffy approached them.  
Angel glanced at the door. "We'll have to see".  
Buffy walked over to the door and opened it, waiting for Angel to follow. He blinked at the bright light and started walking slowly towards it.   
He stopped before being exposed to the light and looked at Buffy.  
She smiled at him and held out her hand. "It's okay," She whispered.  
He slowly reached out his hand, exposing it to the sun. Not even a sizzle. He held Buffy's hand and like a baby making his first step, he started walking very slowly, until he was completely exposed to the daylight. He turned around to Tara and smiled widely.  
  
Xander stopped in the middle of the street.  
He looked at the young boy, with the L.A Lakers cap, walking towards him.  
"Oh, it's easier than I thought," Xander said to himself quietly.  
Michael stopped before him.   
"Hey, kid. I heard you need to be stopped," Xander said.  
"Why do you think Angel is evil?" Michael was surprised with Xander's thoughts.  
"Hey, how did you do that?" Xander asked, surprised.  
The boy started to laugh and jump around. "You're jealous! You're jealous! You're green with envy! " He called.  
"Stop that! I'm not-" Xander waved his hand, then realized his hand was green.  
"What have you done to me?" Xander asked and ran to some store's window, looking at his reflection.  
"I'm green!" He nearly fell to the ground.  
He turned back to the boy. "Turn me back!"  
"You're jealous! You're jealous!" The boy kept repeating his little chant and giggled. He stopped abruptly and look around.   
"Stay away," he warned riley who came closer, trying to sneak behind him.  
"Get him!" Xander called and riley stopped on his tracks.  
"Xander? What happened to you?"  
Xander grinned foolishly. "I'm green with envy".  
The boy stepped back. "Here's your big chance, zeppo".  
"What?" they both turned to him.   
"Dead boy!" Michael hissed. "I'm not sure you want me to..."- he was cut by riley who lunged at him.   
Xander grabbed riley and pulled him away from the kid.  
The tall guy looked surprised. "Xander, what are you-" he didn't finish his sentence; Xander punched his nose and dropped him to the ground. He got up and tried to hit Xander back, but Xander ducked his hit. Michael watched amused the two guys fighting.  
"Kill him," he ordered and walked away.  
  
21  
  
Angel was holding Buffy's hand, looking around and every few minutes returned his stare to her face.  
"You have to be strong, try to hide your thoughts from him. Think of mirrors, or inanimate objects to hide your thoughts. He's looking for you," Angel guided her.  
"Why does he want to hurt me?"  
"Because..." Angel sighed. "He knows that it will hurt me. That's what he really wants".  
"I still don't get it".  
"When he was kidnapped as a baby, last year, actually," Angel started to explain. "He was brought to this dimension. I was the one who brought him back to the powers that be".  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Buffy eyed him.  
"What?" Angel stopped confused.  
"When you first saw him... as a baby... why didn't you tell me then?"  
"I... I... I didn't think that... I didn't want to..." he stammered.  
"You didn't think that I have a right to know? You know he's my son just like he's yours. You always do that!" Buffy steamed out.  
"I thought it was for your own good that you didn't know".  
"You always decide what's good for me, Angel. I'm not in high school anymore. I'm a grown up. I can live my life the way I want to..."  
"What does it have to do-"  
"It has EVERYTHING to do with this! Why can YOU remember and I can't? Why did YOU have to rescue this boy and not me? Why did you decide that I need normal life and someone else in it?" Buffy spoke fast, her cheeks were red in anger. She didn't drop her eyes from Angel.  
"I thought it would be best for you if I wasn't around," he said simply.  
"It was. For a while. But I grew up, and I realized that I'm a slayer. I can't have a normal life. Now I'm old enough to make my own decisions and..." She stopped, taking a deep breath.  
"And what?"   
She grabbed him by his lapels, pulling him over to her and kissed him.  
He lingered on the kiss, embracing her. Then he let go and laughed.  
"What?" She asked.  
"Nothing. I just..." he brushed his lips over hers. "Love you". He kissed her again, and she clung onto him as the kiss deepened.  
  
Suddenly Angel pushed Buffy aside. "There's something wrong," he quivered.   
"What is it?" Buffy tried to touch him. His skin started to steam.  
"I think the spell is wearing off..." Angel looked at his hand. "...It hurts..."  
Buffy's eyes widened with horror. "No... It can't be! Tara..."  
"I need to get some shade... quickly..." Angel whispered.  
Buffy tried to grab his hand, but she was burnt.  
"Angel, run!" She urged him. He collapsed.   
"Angel!" She ignored the heat and tried to pull him to safety.  
"Get up!" She cried out, watching his skin burn.  
"...I can't..." He tried to whisper.  
She tried to cover him with her body and felt his pain on her own flesh.  
She raised her head to see Michael. He was looking at them.  
He looked up at the sun and back at them, unsure of what he was going to do.  
Buffy felt the tears filling her eyes. "Angel," she hugged him to her. He didn't respond. "It can't be it... It can't be the end... Not like this..." She cried quietly.  
  
22  
  
Within seconds, the sky was completely dark. Buffy wiped the tears from her face, looking up at the sky. There was no sign of the sun. It was a dark moonless night.  
She looked down at Angel and caressed his hair. He still seemed weak, but alive. His skin cooled down as well.  
She got up and walked towards Michael, leaving Angel on the ground.  
Michael reached out his hand.  
  
Angel slowly raised his head, panting hard. His face was covered with sweat, and he was too weak to get up. He looked over seeing Buffy reaching her hand out to Michael.  
"No..." He whispered, trying to get up. "Buffy... no..."  
  
"Stop that!" Michael stepped back. "You're trying to confuse me with your thoughts. I'm stronger than you".  
Buffy felt as if some invisible force kicked her in the stomach.  
"You have connection with him. He can't save you now though. He'll live the rest of his immortal life thinking how he couldn't help YOU!" Michael nearly shouted.  
"Michael," Buffy tried to talk to him.  
"Shut up! You're not my mother! Lindsey would have told me! You're a liar! You need to die!" Michael covered his face, whimpering quietly.  
"I don't want to kill you..." He said quietly. "But I have to".  
  
Angel pushed himself up to his feet. "Buffy!" Angel's voice cracked.  
Buffy and Michael both turned to look at him.  
Angel tried to lash at the boy, but was blocked by an invisible wall. Angel got up again and tried to get through, but was blocked again.  
He slammed his hand furiously against the invisible wall.  
"Michael! Leave her alone!" He yelled. "Don't hurt her!"  
Michael stared at him.  
"You can watch her die. You didn't care about me enough to help me when I came to you, did you?!" Michael shouted back at him.  
"You didn't want to help me, now you'll watch her DIE!!!" The boy called out, angry. Tears streaming down his face.  
He looked at Buffy. "Shut up!! Stop that!" He yelled at Buffy and she started to shake violently, crouching, holding her head.  
"Buffy!!" Angel's voice came muffled through the invisible wall.  
He started to slam against the wall, trying to break free. "Michael, I don't know what you're talking about!" He tried to speak to the child. "It's me you want. Let her go and kill me!" He begged the boy.  
He watched helplessly as Michael ignored him and kept smashing Buffy's brain with his mind.  
  
23  
  
Lindsey looked at his screen. "Oh God..." He murmured.  
He picked up at the phone.  
"Yeah, It's Lindsey... How the hell did you let this happen? I had everything under control!" He yelled.  
"I don't CARE that he's valuable!!! You'll kill him this way!" Lindsey slammed the phone shut.  
He grabbed his coat and rushed out the door.  
  
Angel was still trying to break through the invisible wall, when suddenly he leaped forward as the force field disappeared. He gained his balance quickly and ran towards Buffy.  
Michael was now screaming and grabbing his head, crouching on the floor.  
Buffy opened her eyes. Angel grabbed her.  
"Are you all right?" He asked. She nodded and looked over at Michael.  
"He's hurting," She whispered and moved over to him.  
"Make it stop," Michael cried, pulling his hair out, grabbing his head tight. "It hurts..."  
Buffy tried to hold him. He screamed in agony and Buffy dropped to her knees, holding him close to her.  
  
"Where is he?" A metallic voice echoed in the space. Angel and Buffy looked up to see a huge demon. Angel was ripped from Buffy by a smaller demon, which threw him away.  
Another demon attacked Buffy. She kicked him away from her.   
"Bring me the child!" The demon's voice roared.  
Angel was busy fighting the other demon.  
"You want the child?" Buffy looked at him. From the corner of her eye she saw the demon she sent away coming back to attack her.  
She grabbed him and threw him at his leader.  
"Get your own children".  
The huge demon landed flat on the ground, causing it to shake. Buffy grabbed Michael from the ground and ran away from there.  
Angel snapped the demon's neck and started to fight the other demon, which lunged at him.  
Lindsey showed up, looking up at the big demon. "Where's the boy?!" He demanded to know. Angel finished off the second demon, and saw Lindsey. He jumped on him.  
"It's all your fault! What did you tell him?!" He grabbed Lindsey's lapels and shook him.  
"What are you talking about? I just came here to save Michael..."  
"Don't bullshit me, Lindsey!" Angel slammed Lindsey's head on the ground. "You told Michael lies about me".   
"No... he didn't like you from the start. He came here to destroy you".  
"He's doing what you're telling him!" Angel slammed Lindsey's head again.  
Lindsey laughed. "Why don't you ask him? He likes me more than he likes you..."  
"Want me to cut off your other hand, Lindsey? Don't push me." Angel got up as he saw the demon turning away.  
"The Senior partners sent this demon to bring Michael back to L.A, they're planning to keep him as a guinea pig to possess his powers". Lindsey told Angel. "You have to save him..."  
"You go back to the Senior partners and tell them they if they touch a hair on this boy's head, I'm gonna show up at their board meeting and slice them to more pieces than a pie chart," Angel said, grabbing Lindsey's collar.  
"That would be a little hard..." Lindsey started saying.  
Angel growled, vamping out. "Want to put me to the test?"  
"You're wasting time! The longer the kid's under the demon's effect, the more damage he'll do. You can't let the senior partners have him".  
Angel turned to walk away, then turned back to Lindsey.  
"Why are you suddenly on our side? Having another crisis? Need a raise?"  
Lindsey shrugged. "I just love this kid. I spent the last few days with him like he was my own son. I don't wanna see him hurt".  
Angel growled, revealing his fangs.  
"Go back to L.A and don't try to find Michael ever again," He hissed and fled from there.  
  
24  
  
Buffy was running away from the demon, it was hard with the kid in her arms.  
"Everything will be fine," She assured him, hugging him close.  
She saw her friends gathering around.  
"Giles!" She called, running over to them.  
They all turn to look at her. She stopped when she saw what they were examining, the headless corpse of her former boyfriend.  
"I didn't mean to kill him.. It was... HIM!" Xander, in his natural colors pointed out at the kid Buffy was holding in her arms.  
"What happened?" Cordy ignored Xander, seeing that Michael was unconscious.  
"A demon is hunting us down," Buffy gave the child to Giles.  
"God, he's heavy..." She spread out her aching arms.  
"We need to find a safe place..." Wesley said, looking over at the boy, who was writhing in pain in Giles's arms.  
"I'm not going anywhere with this kid!" Xander said. "He made me kill a person".  
"Oh please," Cordelia cut him out. "I would hardly call this a..." She flashed a smile when Xander stared at her, raising his eyebrow.  
"Well, it was either you or him".  
  
They walked inside the magic shop.  
Tara and Willow came into view.  
"Buffy! We were looking for you!" Willow said.  
"We did some reading and the spell is temporary," Tara said. "Very temporary".  
Buffy grimaced. "We noticed," she said.  
"Oh my God! Did Angel burst into flames?" Willow covered her mouth in shock.  
"No, Michael brought forth the darkness". Buffy explained, looking worried at Giles who was laying the kid on the floor.  
"So what happen to him?" Wesley stepped near Buffy.  
"Some huge ugly demon tried to take him and he did something to him... I left Angel alone there to fight it".  
"Good heavens!" Wesley grabbed an ax from the weapon box and walked outside. "I'll go help him".  
No one stopped him. They were all looking at Buffy who knelt near the boy holding him.  
"Hey, you can beat this thing. You're stronger than all of us, remember?" She told him softly, just like Angel had told her. She caressed the boy's face gently.  
"The little bastard turned me into a green-" Xander started complaining when Willow shot a warning stare at him.  
  
Angel saw the demon hovering around, searching and crushing cars. A few scared people ran away. Many of the people found it weird to see darkness fall so early in the day, and decided to stay home, knowing Sunnydale was not safe after dark.  
"Hey!" Angel called, throwing a stick at the demon. The big demon turned around and roared at him.  
Angel roared back and lunged at the demon.  
The demon threw him away and Angel landed on a pile of bricks, scattering them around.   
Angel got up again and tried to attack the demon once more.  
The demon screeched, and Angel looked surprised behind the demon.  
Wesley was standing there wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.  
"That's a big demon," He said.  
The demon tried to reach for the ax that was stabbed in his back, then gave up and tried to squash Wesley.   
Angel jumped and released the ax from the demon's body. The demon screeched again, but Angel sent the ax flying and beheaded the demon.  
"Oh lord, that's disgusting," Wesley said as the demon's body started to melt into a big bubbling puddle.  
"Where's Buffy and Michael?" Angel released the ax from the mushy liquid.  
  
25  
  
Buffy cradled the boy's head to her lap and stroked his hair.  
"He'll be fine," Cordelia assured her, sitting close by.  
Michael stirred in Buffy's arms and she moved her hand when he opened his eyes.  
"Hi," She smiled at him.  
He blinked, and tried to get up. He flinched when he felt his head pounding. He took a deep breath and looked around. He saw Cordelia smiling at him and smiled at her.  
"How are you feeling?" Buffy asked him, reaching out her hand, but he avoided her touch.  
"Why are you good to me? I tried to kill you," He said.   
"Can't you read my mind?" She asked.  
"All I see is myself, like a mirror..." He got up and she got up after him. The other people in the room were staring at him.  
"I can hear them. They're afraid of me. You're blocking your thoughts". He said quietly. "I don't understand".  
Buffy looked up at the others. "Guys, could you..." She didn't finish her words and the people in the room walked away.  
He followed Cordelia with his eyes until she left the room as well.  
"She's not my mother?" He asked disappointed.  
"No," She stepped closer to him. He looked at her, then lowered his head in shame.  
"Lindsey said she is," He tried to look away.  
"I don't know who Lindsey really is, but I understood he's with the bad guys," Buffy touched his shoulder.  
"He was so nice to me. No one ever treated me like this..." the boy sniffed.  
"I never knew you exist... I never knew anything about you..." Her voice quivered.   
"Angel knew. When I was kidnapped to this dimension, I tried to make him keep me here. But my powers were weak, and I almost had him, but then another girl from the pantheon had him convinced. Her powers were stronger than mine..."  
"And you blamed Angel for giving you to the Pantheon?"  
"Yeah, Cordelia was so good to me, I thought she was my mother... that's what I remembered".  
Buffy smiled lightly.  
"Michael, that's Angel of this reality. He always makes the decisions he thinks are best for those he cares about. Believe me, I know". She caressed his cheek softly.   
"I don't want to go back to the Pantheon," Michael said. "It's boring there. I have to study all day long. And they're so uptight..."  
Buffy smiled at him. "Well, you can stay here with me if you promise not to read people's thoughts... And, you know, kill them".  
"Really?" His face brightened. "I can really stay here?"  
She smiled and nodded and he jumped up and hugged her tight. She laughed and hugged him back.  
  
"Buffy," Buffy lifted her head hearing Angel's voice.  
Michael turned around. He seemed scared, moving closer to Buffy.  
"I see you're all right now," Wesley said, looking at the boy. Angel looked at him.  
"Oh, yes, I better... I have to go... um," He started to mumble and Angel handed him the ax.  
"Clean this ax, yes". He walked away.  
Angel looked at Buffy and Michael.   
"Are you okay?" He asked.  
"We're fine," Buffy said.  
"Michael," Angel started saying. Michael ran over to him, hugging his waist and hiding his face in his stomach. "I'm sorry!" He cried.  
Angel was shocked and just stood there awkwardly for a moment before embracing the kid.  
"He's a good boy," Buffy said. "He just wants a family, to belong somewhere..." Angel raised his eyes to look at her. "...To be loved..." She added more quietly.  
"You told him he could stay?" Angel detached himself from the child.  
"He can stay with me," Buffy said. The kid stood there, looking at Angel.  
"No, he can't, Buffy." Angel said quietly. He grabbed the boy's hand.  
  
26  
  
"Michael," Angel knelt down before the kid so he could be at his eye level. "Why don't you want me to stay?" The boy asked.  
Angel sighed.   
"There's nothing I would have want more in the world than to have you here with me... and to have Buffy... but you see, things happen for a reason. Some things just not meant to be, do you understand?" Angel asked. Buffy lowered her head.  
Angel sighed. "I know it seems right now that it is a pain to be the chosen one. You can't have a normal life, play with friends, and do normal kids stuff..." Angel stammered a bit with the normalcy description and Michael smiled. Angel smiled back. "You were chosen for a reason, Michael. There's a world out there that needs you. Just like Buffy fights here all alone, and I'm in L.A. We are all lonely. But you're still a young boy, and a lot of people, like Lindsey, would want to... trick you into using your powers for their goals. And it's not good. In the Pantheon they'll teach you who to trust and how to use your powers, until you're old enough to do it on your own. Now there are all these scary monsters looking after you, but when you grow up, you'll be able to fight them. The Powers That Be only want to protect you".  
"But I want friends! You have friends! Buffy has friends". The child objected.  
"You'll have friends too, once you're able to protect yourself and go alone in your world, you'll find friends. In the mean time, you can make friends with the other kids in the Pantheon that stay there for protection. I know it's hard, but you have to be strong. You should be proud that they chose you". Angel looked at him. Michael nodded to show he understood. Angel got up on his feet and patted the boy's shoulder. He smiled. "And if it feels hard sometimes, think of us here," Angel pointed to his chest, where his unbeating heart is.  
"Because home is where your heart is".  
Buffy closed her eyes. "You see, Michael. Angel's always making the decisions. But these are hard decisions... I don't know if I could ever make them," She said in tears.  
Michael walked over to her.  
"I'm gonna give you one gift. Pick whatever you want most in the world, and I'll give it to you. You don't have to say it, just think about it, feel it," He said and stepped closer.  
She looked at him.  
He walked over to her.  
"Lean down," He asked her.  
She bowed her head. Michael touched her head with both his hands.  
"Close your eyes," He whispered.  
She did as he said. He let go of her after a moment.  
"You can open your eyes again," He told her. She looked at him and smiled.  
"I'm ready to go now, dad". Michael told Angel and grabbed his hand.  
Angel smiled at him.  
"There's just one more thing I have to talk about with Bu- your mother," Angel said. Michael nodded and walked to the other door. "I'll go scare Xander for a bit. He's terrified of me. I turned his skin color to green," He giggled.  
"Oh, it reminds me," Angel said, looking over at him. "If when the demon got you, everything you did with your powers wore off, how come the sun didn't come out?"  
Michael smiled. "Some stuff is just meant to be, I guess. Ask the Powers That Be". He walked away.  
"I love him," Buffy smiled, turning her stare back to Angel.  
"Buffy, I hope you didn't ask-"  
"Shush," She silenced him, putting her finger on his lips.  
"I didn't ask for us to be together, as you and Michael said, things happen for a reason, and some stuff is just meant to be. If we should be together we will," She smiled.  
"Then what did you ask for?"   
"I'll never forget," She smiled at him. "I'll never forget our one perfect day together. Just perfect. Lying in the bed with my normal boyfriend. My normal boyfriend whom I love", She caressed his cheek.  
He smiled. "I love you," He said. "I love you more and more every day that passes," He pulled her close.  
"Me too," She put her arms around him. "I'll never stop loving you till the day I die," She took a breath and looked into his eyes. "I hope I don't sound like a teenager helplessly in love with an older man anymore. This is true, I never felt this way and I will never feel this way with anyone else".  
She lowered her hand to his chest. "I can't feel your heartbeat now, but I remember how it felt," Her eyes filled with tears and he leaned forward and kissed each of her eyes, tasting her tears. He trailed his lips on her face until he met her waiting mouth. He lingered for a moment, feeling her hot breath, smelling her sweet scent. And then brushed his lips over her mouth, slowly and softly at first, then eager to feel her inside.  
She welcomed his tongue with her own, and gave in to his sensual taste. Better than any other man she had been with. Men, boys, man. They were all boys. She was looking in them for things she found in him years ago, but she couldn't find it. And now he was here again, and she knew this is it. This is why she's the longest living slayer. Because she HAS to be here when they can truly be together again.  
Because things happen for a reason, and some stuff is just meant to be.  
  
It was a while until they let go of each other, and stared into each other's eyes.  
"Keep in touch?" Angel asked, the edge of his lips curved into half a smile.  
"You bet I will. How about next weekend?" She suggested, still hugging him.  
"Sounds good, I'll give you a call if I get held up at work..." He winked.  
"Yay!" They heard a squeal. They looked away to see Cordelia, Willow and Michael cheering for them.  
Buffy let go of Angel and smiled at them.  
Michael ran over to her and hugged her.   
"I love you. Both of you," He said smiling. Angel disheveled his hair. "C'mon, Michael. We're going home". He said.  
Buffy kissed the boy's head. "I love you, and I'll never forget you," She whispered in his ear.   
Angel was the last of the L.A gang to leave the place. He looked back at Buffy and winked at her. She smiled.  
"I'll call," He promised and walked out.  
  
  
THE PANTHEON, 2 YEARS LATER (from the storyline).  
  
"Michael!" Michael raised his head when Akmav, a chosen girl about his age, came over to him.  
"What is it?" He was busy writing down his homework.  
"Whistler came back! He said he has something for you!" She sounded excited.  
Michael got up and looked at her. "Where is he?" He asked.  
"Come!" The girl grabbed his hand and led him through the hall of   
Ta-Krim. He merely stopped for a second to see Buffy's aura reflected there, this time next to Angel's. He didn't pay much attention and jumped on Whistler.  
"Hey, Kid! Guess what?" Whistler patted the kid's shoulder.  
"You went to my world's past and you brought me a picture!" Michael said excited.  
"Heh, real tough. Smartass. I told you not to read my mind!" He winked at him and gave him a small album.  
Michael's face brightened when he saw a picture of him as a baby, with his parents- Buffy and Angel of his world.  
"Could you do me a favor, Whistler?" He asked.  
"Sure thing, boy. What do you want?" Whistler asked.  
Michael grabbed a pen and scribbled something on the back of the picture.  
"Go to the Warrior Angel's reality, the time after he returned me to the powers that be as a baby, and put it on his desk". He asked.  
"Okay, I'll go right to it," Whistler said. Michael smiled.  
Whistler took and the picture and left.  
"Why didn't you take it yourself?" Akmav asked.   
"You know I'm not allowed to use the time passages. That's the messenger demons' job. I'm all good now," He winked at her and moved closer to kiss her.  
"What did you write on the back of the picture?"  
"Something Angel once told me. 'Home is where your heart is'".  
"Wow, that's nice," She smiled at him and held his hand.  
"I didn't know back then how right he was. It feels a lot better now," Michael smiled at her. And they walked back to their study place. Two chosen ones. Two worlds apart. But two things connecting between them. Destiny and their existence. And that was enough.  
  
THE END.  
  
  
  



End file.
